


True Love's Kiss

by Serena_chan



Category: LazyTown
Genre: F/M, Fairytale / Fantasy elements, First Kiss, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-26
Updated: 2013-06-26
Packaged: 2017-12-16 06:36:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/858987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serena_chan/pseuds/Serena_chan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All it takes is true love's kiss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I truly have no excuse for this. I work as a nanny and my toddler is obsessed with LazyTown. She watches it two or three times a day; everyday. It's sort of taken over my brain so fanfic was bound to happen... *sigh* Still, no excuse...
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and make no profit from this story.

"I just love the nightgown you got me for my birthday, Mom," Stephanie said.  She was twirling in front of her bedroom mirror, a cloud of pink gauze and silk whirling around her.  "It looks just like a princess's dress."  
  
Maria's gaze was loving and a little misty-eyed as she looked upon her daughter.  "You know why that is.  Tonight's a very special night, and you have to look your best just in case."  
  
"In case what, Mom, Prince Charming has to wake me tomorrow with a kiss?" Stephanie laughed, sitting beside her mother on the bed.  "I'm only sixteen.  I'll have plenty more birthdays before that happens."  
  
"I hope so, dear.  As much as I want you to find your true love, I'm not sure I'm ready to lose my little girl just yet."  
  
"You won't lose me," Stephanie reassured her with a hug.  "I'm still your little girl tonight, and I'll still be your little girl tomorrow when I see you and Dad for breakfast.  Now, how does this work?"  
  
"It's very simple," Maria said, pulling an ornate gold box from her purse.  "I just sprinkle the dust on you, and you'll fall asleep."  
  
"That's it?"  
  
"That's it, but before we begin, humor me.  Surely there must be someone special to you?  You are a teenager now, and it's perfectly normal to - "  
  
"Mom!" Stephanie cut her mother off, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.  "Alright, yes.  There is someone I have a crush on, but that's all it is - a crush.  He'll never feel that way about me, and besides, he's way too old for me."  
  
Maria rolled her eyes.  "Never say never.  I certainly never envisioned myself marrying someone like your father.  I always thought I'd end up with someone with some common sense, and if age had anything to do with it, I'm sure your father would have rather had a younger wife than an older one."  
  
"That's not true," Stephanie said with a grin.  "Grandma told me that you two were always crazy about each other, but you were both too stubborn to admit it."  
  
"Just because your grandmother says something doesn't make it true," her mother said primly.  "Are you ready now?"  
  
Stephanie nodded and watched in fascination as her mother turned the key and opened the lid.  Glittering inside was a fine golden powder that seemed to shine with a light of its own.  
  
"Apparently the scent of the dust is very important," Maria said as she took a small handful and sprinkled it over her daughter's head.  "It smells like something different to each person.  What does it smell like to you?"  
  
Stephanie was momentarily distracted by the way the dust seemed to shimmer in the air before evaporating around her.  At an impatient noise from her mother, however, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, already beginning to feel drowsy.  
  
"Strange, it almost smells like the aftershave Sportacus wears," she murmured sleepily, climbing into bed and letting her mother tuck her in.  "Goodnight, Mom."  
  
"Goodnight, dear," Maria replied.  She stayed at her daughter's bedside as Stephanie slipped into a deep slumber.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
"I just can't believe that Stephanie's already sixteen," Milford said, pouring a cup of tea and handing it to Stephanie's father.  "Are you sure this test is safe, Harald?"  
  
"Positive," the other man assured him.  "It's been done for centuries.  I took it myself, remember?"  
  
"Believe me, I do," the mayor sighed.  "Our mother had to practically force Maria to wake you up.  The whole thing was ridiculous!  Everyone in the kingdom knew the two of you would end up together someday, but she was so stubborn - "  
  
"Bull-headed is more like it," Harald interjected, his tone exasperated but with a fond smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.  
  
Milford pinned the other man with a knowing look.  "You didn't make things any easier.  Honestly, the pair of you deserved one another because no one else would have put up with you."  
  
Harald shrugged and grinned guiltily at his brother-in-law.  "It was our own bizarre form of courtship.  I am sorry that you got caught in the middle so much."  
  
"I should hope so.  It wasn't easy having my best friend and my sister constantly trying to either kill or kiss one another."  
  
The two men shared a smile and sat in silence for a moment, lost in their own memories.  It wasn't long, however, before their thoughts returned to the girl - now almost a woman - upstairs.  
  
"Sixteen just seems so young for this sort of thing," Milford said.  
  
"It's tradition," Harald argued.  "Besides, there's no guarantee it will take yet.  I wasn't put to sleep properly until I was nineteen.  Mark my words, Stephanie will be awake at the usual time tomorrow."  
  
"I wouldn't count on that," Milford muttered into his teacup.  
  
"What?"  
  
He was saved from responding by his sister coming down the stairs.  
  
"She's asleep," Maria announced.  Her words hung heavily in the air as each of them privately wondered what the morning would bring.  
  
"Right," Harald said gruffly, setting his teacup aside.  "Maria and I should be getting back to our hotel.  What time should we be here tomorrow for breakfast?"  
  
"Around 7:30," Milford told them, walking with them to the door.  "I do wish that you two could stay here, but there simply isn't enough room.  This house only had one spare bedroom, and that's Stephanie's room now."  
  
"That's alright," Maria said, kissing her brother on the cheek.  "The hotel is fine.  We'll see you in the morning."  
  
In spite of their light mood inside the house, the mood inside the car as they made their way to the hotel was tense and silent.  After finding a spot to park, Maria reached for Harald's hand, and the two of them just sat there for a moment.  
  
"I wonder if my parents felt this way the first time they had to put me to sleep," he said at last, breaking the silence.  
  
"Probably," Maria sighed.  "You know, it's funny.  I always knew this day would come, and I was never nervous about it in the past.  But now that it's here..."  
  
"I know what you mean.  It seems like just yesterday that she was still a little girl."  Harald gave her hand a squeeze.  "Still, it might not take.  Like I was saying to Milford, I wasn't put to sleep properly until I was nineteen."  
  
"That's because you were too emotionally immature to see what was right in front of you," his wife said, dropping his hand and rolling her eyes.  "Stephanie on the other hand has always been very mature for her age.  While I hope she wakes up tomorrow, I certainly won't be surprised if she doesn't."  
  
Maria grabbed her purse and got out of the car, stretching.  "Come on.  We have to at least try to get some sleep tonight.  I want to get to Milford's early tomorrow."  
  
She didn't say anything to her husband about Stephanie's remark that the dust had smelled like the town hero's aftershave.  She'd keep that to herself until she was sure that her daughter wasn't going to wake up.


	2. Chapter Two

The next morning dawned bright and beautiful.  It was a gorgeous summer day in LazyTown, and at 7:00am Maria and Harald made their way to the mayor's house.  
  
"Good morning," Milford said cheerfully to his sister and her yawning husband.  "You're here early.  I usually don't wake Stephanie for another half an hour.  I'm still cooking at the moment," he gestured to the apron he wore, "but there's coffee in the kitchen if you're interested."  
  
"I'm very interested," Harald enthused.  "I didn't get much sleep last night, and _someone_ wouldn't let me sleep in."  He cast a pointed look in his wife's direction.  
  
"I can't believe you want to sleep in today of all days!"  Maria exclaimed, making her way into the kitchen and pouring a cup of coffee.  
  
"Whether we got here at seven or seven-thirty won't change the results," he countered, taking the cup from her.  
  
"Oh, just go sit in the living room, and read the paper," she snapped.  "I'll help Milford with breakfast."  
  
Once she was sure he was safely out of earshot, she rounded on her brother.  "Now, I want you to tell me about your town's hero."  
  
"Sportacus?" Milford said in surprise as he went back to mixing his pancake batter.  "What do you want to know?"  
  
"Everything," she said, putting on a spare apron.  "Because I suspect that if Stephanie doesn't wake up, it'll be him that breaks the spell."  
  
"Well, I can't say that I didn't see that coming.  Those two have always had a special bond.  Nothing inappropriate, mind you," he hastened to assure her.  "But I've gotten the feeling lately that Stephanie cares for him as more than just a friend, though I don't know if he feels the same way."  
  
"If she doesn't wake this morning, then he does feel the same way," Maria told him.  "The true love dust only works if it goes both ways."  
  
"Of course.  Anyway, Sportacus comes from an island in the North Sea not far from our home country."  
  
"You mean Latibær?" she asked, looking up sharply.  "Does that mean he's an elf?"  
  
"I think so," Milford nodded.  "Although I've never personally heard him say.  He certainly does have above-average abilities, and Robbie Rotten, our town's self-appointed villain, refers to him as the 'Blue Elf.'"  
  
"How old is he?"  
  
"I'm not sure," he said, looking uncomfortable.  "If he was human I'd estimate his age to be in his late thirties, but - "  
  
" - But if he's an elf then he could be much older," Maria finished for him.  "Elves have such long lives.  Thirty-ish seems too old for Stephanie, but when compared with an elf's lifespan, it would make him quite young, wouldn't it?"  
  
"The oldest elf I've heard of was 300 when he died," Milford confirmed.  "And if they marry, then it would mean that Stephanie's lifespan will be lengthened as well."  
  
"It would mean more than that," she insisted.  "You remember the prophecy don't you about an elf marrying the crown?"  
  
"We could finally go home," he said softly.  "Take back our country."  
  
He sighed wistfully and allowed himself to consider the possibility for a moment before giving himself a shake.  "We're getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we?  We don't even know if Stephanie's..."  He trailed off and looked meaningfully at the clock.  
  
"It's 7:30," Maria realized.  "I'll... I'll go and wake her."  
  
She made her way up the stairs and toward her daughter's room.  She knocked softly before entering.  
  
"Stephanie?" she called as she entered.  
  
Sunlight was streaming in through the window, falling across Stephanie's sleeping face.  
  
"Stephanie?" her mother called again, louder this time, as she knelt beside her daughter.  
  
When she didn't stir, Maria even gave her shoulder a little shake, just to be sure.  Kneeling beside the bed, she let the enormity of the situation wash over her.  Stephanie would remain there, asleep and unchanging, until kissed by her one true love.  It was usually a simple matter, but there were stories where the solution wasn't immediately obvious; where it had taken up to a year to find the right person to awaken the heir to the throne.  One of the heirs, the princess who originally inspired the beloved fairy tale, was asleep for a hundred years.  Her true love had been killed by bandits on his way to awaken her, and it had taken one hundred years for his soul to be reborn and find her again.  There were no substitutes for true love, after all.  
  
Maria forced down the fear that she might never see her daughter smile again and instead reminded herself that this test had been given for nearly a thousand years now.  Countless princes and princesses had undergone it and were awakened almost immediately.  There was no cause for concern, especially since Stephanie herself had all but admitted that Sportacus was the one she loved.  
  
Reaching out with gentle hands, Maria straightened Stephanie's hair, smoothed the wrinkles from the bedding, and clasped her daughter's hands across her waist.  Stephanie already looked lovely, but it was like Maria had told her last night - she should look her best.  
  
With one last glance over her shoulder at her slumbering child, Maria made her way downstairs to where her husband and brother were waiting.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
"I still don't like it," Harald grumbled, once he'd been brought up to speed by Maria and Milford.  "Even if he is an elf, he seems too old for her.  Anyway, she only said it smelled like his aftershave - not him.  Other people might wear that kind of aftershave, too."  
  
"Fine.  We'll find out what sort of aftershave he wears," Maria said, rolling her eyes.  "But I think you're splitting hairs.  Besides, you know age has nothing to do with it when true love is concerned."  
  
Harald grumbled something, probably unflattering, into his coffee cup but privately conceded both their points.  His wife just smiled knowingly at him.  
  
"So where is this super hero anyway?"  
  
"Actually, I believe he prefers the term 'slightly-above-average hero,'" Milford corrected.  "And this time of day he's probably still up in his airship unless someone needs saving.  I could always send him a message, though, saying that I need to speak to him."  
  
"Why don't you do that," his sister suggested.  "I'd like to get this all settled.  I don't want to leave Stephanie asleep any longer than is strictly necessary."  
  
"If it is him, then we're going to have to explain everything," Harald sighed, "Who we are, and who Stephanie will someday become."  
  
"At least coming from Latibær he'll have heard of us," the mayor reminded him.    
  
"Come on," Maria said at last.  "Let's go meet this 'slightly-above-average hero.'  We're not going to decide anything just sitting around the house."


	3. Chapter Three

Sportacus was in his airship doing push-ups when a mail tube suddenly shot up from the floor.  He quickly jumped up and grabbed it before it could hit the ground.  
  
"Let's see," he said, pulling the letter from the mail tube.  "The mayor needs to see me.  I wonder what's going on?"  
  
He steered his airship so it was hovering over the mailbox near the mayor's house and jumped down to where the mayor was waiting for him along with two strangers he'd never seen before.  The first was a tall man with blond hair and familiar brown eyes.  Next to him was a woman with long pink hair pulled back in a braid down her back and sharp green eyes.  Seeing the woman, Sportacus could guess who these two newcomers were.  Stephanie was almost a carbon copy of the woman, except for her eye color and skin-tone.  
  
"Hello, Mayor.  What seems to be the trouble?"  
  
"Oh, there's no trouble," Milford explained.  "I just wanted to introduce you to someone."  
  
Sportacus smiled.  "You must be Stephanie's parents."  
  
"Is it that obvious?" the woman asked, smiling and shaking his hand.  
  
"Well, your daughter does greatly resemble you."  
  
"My name's Maria, and this is my husband, Harald."  
  
"Nice to meet you," Harald said, shaking the hero's hand as well.  
  
"They're here for Stephanie's sixteenth birthday," the mayor supplied.  
  
"Well, we're all certainly looking forward to her party tonight.  I know her friend Trixie has been working very hard on the decorations," Sportacus said.  "Where is Stephanie, anyway?  She's usually up and about this time of day."  
  
"About that..." Maria began hesitantly.  
  
"Stephanie's not feeling well," Harald cut in.  "In fact, if she's not feeling better by this afternoon, we may have to move the party to tomorrow."  
  
"That's terrible," Sportacus said, his heart sinking at the thought of Stephanie sick in bed.  "I'll have to stop by and visit her."  
  
"Before you do that, there's something that we need to discuss,"  Milford said.  "It's a private matter, so why don't we all go back to my house?  You see - "  
  
He was interrupted by Sportacus's crystal flashing and chiming.  
  
"I'm sorry.  I have to go," Sportacus said.  "I'll meet you back at your house, Mayor."  
  
"Before you go," Maria said quickly.  "What's that aftershave you're wearing?"  
  
The hero blinked in surprise.  "I never wear any," he said before flipping away, completely missing the 'I-told-you-so' smirk Maria leveled at her husband.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
Sportacus made his way to the mayor's house, thankful that this recent bout of trouble was nothing more serious than Ziggy getting himself hopelessly tangled in the balloons he was blowing up for Stephanie's party.  Speaking of Stephanie... Sportacus was worried.  He couldn't seem to put his finger on it, but he felt like there was something wrong.  True, his crystal wasn't flashing, but whatever the mayor and Stephanie's parents wanted to talk about sounded serious.  Plus, with her sick in bed on her birthday, he'd have to come up with something really special to cheer her up.  
  
Entering the house, he found the mayor, Maria, and Harald waiting for him in the living room.  
  
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" he asked.  
  
"This could take awhile so why don't you take a seat," Maria suggested.  "Would you like something to drink?  Tea?  Coffee?"  
  
"Ice water would be nice," Sportacus said, sitting down.  Privately, he wished they'd just come to the point.  That special connection he'd always seemed to have with Stephanie felt odd somehow, and he was getting even more worried.  
  
"Sportacus, Milford tells me that you're from Latibær?" Maria asked.  
  
"Yes, I am," he confirmed.  "It's a beautiful country, populated mostly by elves, but there are quite a few humans there as well now - refugees from a place called Galdramaður Island."  
  
Maria and Harald shared a look that the hero couldn't interpret.  
  
"Then you know about Galdramaður, and its history?" Harald pressed.  
  
"I know some," Sportacus confirmed.  "It used to be one of two places in the world where magic was still practiced openly - the other being Latibær - and because of that, it had closed off all communication with the outside world.  Any international business was done through Latibær so there used to be a lot of political news about their dealings in the newspapers when I was a boy."  
  
"And the upheaval that lead to most of the country being evacuated," Maria prompted.  "What do you know about that?"  
  
"Not much," the hero confessed.  "That was about twenty years ago, and I was training at the hero's academy at the time.  From what I understand, a group of magic users seized power by tapping into black magic, something that was previously banned there.  Most of the people have fled the country, and Latibær has closed all dealings with Galdramaður, and its new leaders.  One refugee I spoke to said the takeover was brutal - mass beatings and executions - families were separated trying to get away.  He wasn't even sure if the previous rulers were able to escape."  
  
"They did," Milford interrupted softly.  He moved to stand behind the sofa where Stephanie's parents were sitting, putting a hand on each of their shoulders.  "Sportacus, let me introduce you to King Haraldur and Queen Maria of Galdramaður Island." 


	4. Chapter Four

Sportacus knew his mouth was open, but no sound emerged.  When the mayor said he needed to talk, he'd certainly never expected to learn something like this!  
  
"I-It's an honor to meet you both," he managed, getting up and bowing low at the waist.  
  
"Sit down," Maria said.  "It's not like I'm a queen anymore."  
  
Sportacus sat, his brain finally catching up.  "That means that Stephanie is - "  
  
"Princess and heir to the throne of Galdramaður," Harald finished for him.  "But it's like my wife says, we're only royalty in name now.  We were forced to flee the country some time ago.  Stephanie was born four years later so she's never even been there, although we've been telling her stories about it her whole life."  
  
"And you?" the hero looked at LazyTown's mayor.  "Are you from Galdramaður as well?"  
  
"Born and raised," Milford smiled.  "But that was a long time ago."  
  
"The reason we're telling you all this," Maria said gently, "is because we need your help with something.  Actually, it's Stephanie that needs your help.  You see, just because we've had to abandon our country doesn't mean we've abandoned all our old customs, and this particular custom can be traced back a thousand years.  The king at the time had only one heir, a daughter, who had reached marrying age.  She had many suitors, but the king was very worried because back then Galdramaður was the center of all magical practices for the entire world.  Whomever married her would become a very powerful man, and he feared that many of her suitors were simply after power.  He turned the problem over to his head wizard, and this was created."  
  
Maria pulled out a gold box covered in ornate carvings.  Taking out a key, she started to unlock it before pausing and shooting a look at her husband.  
  
"Oh, right."  Harald moved off the sofa and away from the box.  
  
Once the box was open, she turned it so Sportacus could gaze inside at the glowing golden powder.  As an elf, he could feel the raw, powerful magic behind it, coupled with the weight of hundreds of years.  
  
"What is it?" he breathed.  
  
"This dust, when sprinkled on a member of the royal family, puts them into a deep sleep, and they can only be awakened by a kiss from their soul mate.  It ensures that all marriages that take place within the family are entered into for love, not power, and the tradition has carried through to this day."  
  
"Let me see if I've got this straight," Sportacus said.  "You want to use this to put Stephanie to sleep?"  
  
"Actually, we already have," Harald said, giving the other man a piercing stare.  "Now all we need is the person who will wake her up.  Any idea who that might be?"  
  
Anger and distress shot in equal measures through Sportacus, though he tried his best not to let either show on his face.  The thought of Stephanie laying upstairs in a magically-induced sleep, unable to refuse while various men kissed her, made his blood boil.  Eventually, someone would awaken her, and...  He couldn't even finish the thought.  He'd always known that someday someone would take Stephanie away from him.  She'd fall in love, get married, and have a family, and he wanted those things for her, truly.  She deserved all that and more.  He just thought he'd have more _time_.  
  
"Harald, stop torturing him," Maria said.  She moved to sit next to the hero, gently taking one of his hands in hers from where he had been gripping the seat of the chair so hard that the fabric was in danger of tearing.  "Sportacus, Stephanie and I talked before she went to sleep, and I believe that the one person who can awaken her is you."  
  
"Me?"  He couldn't bring himself to believe it, let alone hope...  "No, it can't be.  Stephanie deserves so much better than me.  She deserves someone her own age who can devote every second of every day to her, not someone who's always rushing off to save someone."  
  
"Nonetheless," Maria insisted gently, "I believe it is you that Stephanie loves.  You do love her, don't you?"  
  
"I - " He'd never let himself admit it, not even in his own head.  It was his deepest, darkest secret, and now, to say it out loud and to Stephanie's parents and uncle no less?  
  
"Excuse me."  He pulled his hand away from Maria's.  "I-I think I need a moment to myself."  
  
After he'd gone, Maria turned to the others and said wryly, "Well, that actually went better than I expected it to."  
  
"It certainly went better than when mother told you Harald had been put to sleep," Milford said.  "You actually stamped your foot like a child and said, 'I don't want everyone in the kingdom to know I'm in love with _him_!'"  
  
Harald burst out laughing.  "You love me, and you know it," he teased.  
  
"Against all my better judgment," Maria grumbled.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
Sportacus exited the Meanswell residence and took a few deep breaths of air to try and calm the rising panic in his chest.  He'd been so ashamed of himself this past year as his feelings for Stephanie had been changing into something more than friendly.   He'd convinced himself that if Stephanie or anyone else found out they'd be shocked and repulsed by him.  After all, he was great deal older than her by human standards, and some might find the fact that he'd known her since she was a little girl even more troubling.  
  
Now, her own parents were not only saying it was okay to love her but wanted him to prove it by kissing her and waking her up.  He knew he should be overjoyed, but at the moment he just felt overwhelmed.  And what if his kiss didn't work?  What _then_?  He didn't think he could recover from a blow like that, not after getting his hopes raised like this.  
  
 _No,_ he thought to himself.  _I have to try.  I have to_ know.  
  
No matter what the results were, Stephanie needed him.  He couldn't just leave her there asleep forever.  He was supposed to be a hero!  Instead he was out here acting like a coward.  
  
Squaring his shoulders, he turned around and made his way back inside.


	5. Chapter Five

Pausing outside Stephanie's bedroom door, Sportacus took a moment to compose himself before entering.  The sight he was met with made his breath catch in his throat.  
  
Stephanie had never looked more beautiful.  Her hair surrounded her like a pink halo, framing her sweet face.  Long, dark lashes rested against the tops of pale cheeks kissed by the summer sun.  
  
Without realizing he was moving, Sportacus found himself kneeling at her side, pulled by some invisible force.  Something deep inside him quivered, and he felt his connection with Stephanie flare brighter than ever before.  His elven skin could feel the unfamiliar tingle of magic heavy in the air, though his brain barely registered it.  
  
He continued to gaze upon her for a little while longer, trying to commit every detail of this moment to memory, before slowly pressing a kiss against her petal soft lips.  Had his eyes not drifted shut, he would have seen the magnificent golden glow that surrounded them before slowly fading away.  
  
Sportacus hovered over her with bated breath as Stephanie slowly began to stir.  Her eyes fluttered open, and when she saw him the corners of her mouth turned up in a small smile.  
  
"I knew it would be you," she whispered softly before throwing her arms around him.  
  
He clutched her to him probably a little harder than he should, fierce joy spilling over and making him feel lighter than air.  He breathed in the sweet scent of her hair, simply holding her for a minute, before he could stand it no longer and sought out her mouth once more with his, delighting in feeling her respond.  
  
They stayed in the haven of her room as long as they dared, trading kisses and smiles, until Sportacus eventually took her hand in his and lead her downstairs to where her uncle and parents were waiting.  
  
Half an hour later Stephanie found herself sitting with her family in the kitchen, enjoying a lunch made up of her favorite breakfast foods.  Sportacus had slipped away, claiming he had something to take care of before her party that night.  
  
Maria eyed her daughter critically for a moment before saying, "'Just a crush,' huh?"; grinning when Stephanie blushed the same color as the strawberries she was spooning onto her pancakes.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
Up in his airship, Sportacus set aside the new pink tennis equipment he'd been planning to give Stephanie for her birthday.  He could give it to her later.  In light of recent events he felt a more special present was in order.  Something more romantic, perhaps?  
  
Looking out over the town his eyes fell on LazyTown's only jewelry shop.  It was far too soon to be thinking about rings (even though he was sure that was the direction their relationship would be going), but he still wanted to get her something special.  
  
He managed to get there before the shop closed, and after browsing through the many glass cases, eventually settled upon a gold charm bracelet.  He took his time picking out each individual charm, and eventually settled upon a tiny ballet slipper for her love of dancing, a baseball (The sport she'd taught him to play.), an apple (Her favorite sports candy.), a tiny diary, and a gold heart with the number sixteen etched into it.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
That evening, Harald pushed his way through the small crowd of people to where his wife was sitting.  The party was outside in the park, and lights had been strung up in the trees to keep visibility up as the sun went down.  Tables were set up, overflowing with food, and balloons were tied to every available surface.  Smaller children were busy playing on the playground equipment nearby while some of the older kids had started a pick-up game of basketball.  Everyone else was busy dancing to Stephanie's favorite music which was being mixed and played by her friend Trixie.  Stephanie, herself, had been dancing joyfully most of the night, her pink party dress whirling around her and her new charm bracelet sparkling at her wrist.  Sportacus was never far from her side, and the two of them seemed to be in their own little happy world.  
  
"It's very different than the sort of party she'd be having if she'd grown up as a princess," Harald sighed, thinking of the grand balls his parents used to throw.  
  
Maria smiled.  "You and I both know that Stephanie would prefer this sort of party, no matter where she'd grown up.  Besides, everything happens for a reason.  If she'd grown up back home, she may never have crossed paths with Sportacus."  
  
"Should we tell them about the prophecy of the elf marrying the crown?"  
  
"Not now," his wife said firmly.  "They aren't married yet and won't be for some time.  Besides, Stephanie's heard the story many times growing up.  She'll put it together eventually."  
  
She reached out and took Harald's hand in hers.  The two smiled together as Sportacus swooped Stephanie up in his arms and twirled her around, her delighted laughter echoing through the park.  
  
"We have time."

 

  
The end... for now.

 

Bonus picture: Stephanie's charm bracelet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a sequel in the works, although I'm not sure when it's going to happen. Here's some notes for this story, though:
> 
> \- Latibær is what they call "LazyTown" in Iceland where the show is filmed. I decided to make up an island where the elves live rather than have Sportacus be from Iceland, although in my mind it is somewhere near Iceland and the elves probably speak a variant of Icelandic. The reason I couldn't actually have him be from Iceland will become apparent in the sequel. 
> 
> \- Galdramaður means 'enchanted' in Icelandic. 
> 
> \- The name Stephanie actually means 'crown.' (Well, it's the feminized form of 'Stephen' which comes from the Greek 'Stephanos' meaning 'crown'... same thing.)


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